Help Prove That Video Games Aren't Dumb

In an article published by The Atlantic earlier this month, writer Taylor Clark posited that “video games, with very few exceptions, are dumb.”

Nevermind the ridiculousness of such a hyperbolic, inflammatory statement, responds Brainy Gamer’s Michael Abbott. We can prove Clark wrong.

So Abbott is constructing a list, one brainy offering at a time, to prove to the world that there are plenty of smart games out there after all. And you can help! Just head over to Brainy Gamer and add your own contributions to Abbott’s informal Smart Game catalogue.

Games already on the list include BioShock, Civilization IV, and Persona 3. What would you suggest?

I can think of hunreads of games and entire genres that arnt "dumb" but the fact is a lot of games espcialy the most popular ones are aimed at the 13 year old male demographic and are very simplistic in terms of story,humor and gameplay.

Yeah, Theodore Sturgeon had it right . To paraphrase him: "90% of everything is crud". Saying most computer games are dumb is just stating the obvious. However, given that hundreds of games are published a year, that still mens that one could play only good ones and not scratch the surface. I've got unplayed games in my collection from years ago that I'm still having trouble getting round to, because (a) I have a life outside gaming, and (b) new good games keep adding themselves to the pile. ..

this list will only backfire, as it will show how dumb gamers are. people will add their favorite games, whether they are smart or not. mgs will be listed because the retarded fanbase thinks 'it is convoluted and full of dumb twists and so much dialogue, it must be a smart game!' half life series is great, but it's not smart. it's shooting with an occasional see-saw puzzle for pacing.

the sad truth is, the overwhelming majority of games are dumb, with few exceptions, exactly as the article said. i think gamers just get defensive when an apparent outsider points out the obvious. you hear 'most games are dumb' as 'all gamers are dumb'

It seems a bit much to single out games, but the fact is, the vast majority of games are a dumb distraction. In a wider sense, this is why I don't get the whole games are art thing. Bullshit. A couple of games are art. Most are entertainment. This is why I don't get the ME3 "artisitic" argument against changing the ending. Its good. Its moving. Its well written. Is it art? Hell no. It's got all the art of Star Trek.